A review by kenzierenee51
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

5.0

⭐5/5 stars⭐

“You’re here,” he repeated, taking her hand and drawing it against his chest, right above his pounding heartbeat. “In my heart. Somehow you crashed your way into it when I wasn’t looking. The same way you barged into my library, I suppose. But you’re here now, inside. Emma, you’re the very life of me.”

I went into this book completely blind and was immediately nervous once I learned the plot but I was pleasantly surprised to learn I didn't mind it. The Duke of Ashbury returns from Waterloo with an injury that covers his face and body due to a rocket explosion. His fiancé, after seeing his current state, cannot go through with the marriage thus she leaves him a shell of the man he used to be. Enter Emma, the woman who sewed and stitched his betrotheds wedding gown. She barges into his home and demands to be paid her wages for the gown that will now not be used. The Duke, in desperate need of an heir, offers her the proposition of marriage in exchange for her carrying his child. She will be compensated for her time as a seamstress and completely provided for the rest of her life. Emma accepts after a bit of confusion and the two are quickly married with the assurance that this is definitely, most assuredly NOT a love match. It is simply a bargain with quick means to an end. As they grow closer however within the confines of their home, they discover that this plan is easier said than done.

Classic case of she falls first but he falls harder. I am a BIG fan of he male love interest acting confused on why he feels so strongly for the fmc and wanting to protect her but will absolutely not call it love because of course it isn't (but we know it is). Ash was such a good depiction of this in a very obvious way.

“You are wet, and you are cold. You don’t like being cold. Therefore, I despise you being cold. I would go about murdering raindrops and setting fire to the clouds, but that would take slightly more than an hour. Perhaps even two."

I mean, I mean?? I laughed so much as I listened to it. Ash and Emma's humor fused together so perfectly; I don't think anyone else could have been so perfect for the other. the banter was seamless and witty and had me smiling anytime they were bouncing off the other. the side characters in this were written so well and the character development with Emma and Ash was also incredibly well done. Emma, still hurt after her fathers rejection, assumes that every father would act the same way towards their daughters and this played into how she helped Davina. With Ash, he felt that no one could ever love him after his face and body had been mangled by war and this fear and self-hatred didn't disappear within the first few encounters with Emma which I appreciated. His eventual appreciation and acceptance towards his appearance didn't come until the end of the novel and wasn't wholly given to him by Emma. She helped tremendously but he also realized the truth of his own self worth and it was lovely to see.

this whole book was so funny and delightful, and I enjoyed every minute of it!!

spice: 8758934893489329032/5 (don't even.. get me started.. on the spice in this book